Akkeshi-Cho in the eastern Hokkaido is one of the most famous oyster production areas. “Conchiglie” is a Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) on top of the hill to look down Akkeshi Bay and Lake Akkeshi. You can enjoy Akkeshi’s oysters in a variety of ways at Conchiglie: raw, steamed, deep-fried, charcoal-grilled, saute, etc. Surprisingly, they also have desserts made from oysters! Enjoy as many oysters as you want!

 
▲You can enjoy not only raw oysters and charcoal-grilled oysters but also sea urchin, scallop of the near sea and vegetables. 

 

Table of Contents

- A Michi-no-Eki which let you enjoy fresh oysters from Akkeshi all year round
- Enjoy oysters in a variety of ways at “Restaurant Escal”
- Have charcoal-grilled oysters and scallops at “Sumiyaki Aburiya”
- Have fancy style oysters at “Oyster Bar Pittoresque”
- Oyster desserts at “Oyster Cafe”! 
 

A Michi-no-Eki which let you enjoy fresh oysters from Akkeshi all year round

Akkeshi Flavor Terminal “Conchiglie” is a Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) facility which offers various local foods from Akkeshi-Cho. It’s a great place to take a break when driving towards Nemuro City from Kushiro City as it’s about 50 mins from Kushiro City. 

The most famous foods from Akkeshi-Cho is, of course, oysters! You can enjoy fresh oysters from Akkeshi at Conchiglie all year around.

 
▲You can also have oysters in fancy styles! 


Oysters from Akkeshi is farmed at nutrient-rich water area where seawater and freshwater mix. 
They move oysters between sea and lakes as they farm to maintain the water temperature at 10 degrees and appropriate salinity. 
Because they put a lot of work in farming and oysters gain enough nutrition, we can enjoy big and delicious oysters all year around.  

 
▲Above is the picture of Akkeshi Bay (before the bridge) with lots of plankton to feed oysters and Lake Akkeshi (after the bridge) where nutritions from mountains and wetlands flow. 


By the way, “Conchiglie” means foods in the shape of shellfish in Italian. This Michi-no-Eki is really filled with oysters. 

There are many restaurants including bars. You can choose which one to enter by what you want to try and your moods. 

Let me introduce different oyster dishes in each restaurant. 

 

Enjoy oysters in a variety of ways at “Restaurant Escal” 

There are three places on the second floor of Conchiglie. “Restaurant Escal” is one of them, and they offer a variety of menus so anyone can find something they would like to try. You can enjoy Japanese and Western dishes using local ingredients such as Akkeshi oysters and porks. 

 
▲The building is spacious and bright. There are restaurants at the back of the second floor, and you can enjoy the view of Akkeshi Bay from the windows.     


There are a variety of menus, and among them, I recommend “Akkeshi Oyster Steak Rice Bow.” You can enjoy raw, deep-fried, and sauteed Akkeshi oysters in this single set!

 
▲The dish also came with ikura. Soy sauce pickled horseradish is put on ikura. 

 
▲Oysters sauteed in butter contain more sweetness, and I felt like the flavor became more profound. 


When I had a piece of sauteed oyster with soy sauce pickled horseradish, the sweetness of oysters and spiciness matched really well. Having raw oysters in between made my mouth refresh. 

 
▲Have deep-fried oysters with tartar sauce. 


All oysters are “Maruemon” from Akkeshi. 
“Maruemon” is a breed which they brought young oysters from Miyagi Prefecture and grew them in Akkeshi-Cho. The meat is thick, and the flavor is deep. It feels quite filling. 

By the way, clams in the soup are also from Akkeshi, and Kombu noodle used in a side dish is from Hamanaka-Cho, the town next to Akkeshi. This meal set uses plenty of local seafood. 

Other than the dish above, they also offer various set meals, curry, pasta, etc., using oysters and porks, etc. It might be nice to order a few kinds and share each other to compare flavors. 

 

Have charcoal-grilled oysters and scallops at “Sumiyaki Aburiya”

The second restaurant I would like to introduce is “Sumiyaki Aburiya.” As the name suggests, you can enjoy charcoal-grilled seafood such as oysters here. 

The characteristics of this restaurant are that you can choose what to grill on your own. You can select locally produced seafood such as oysters, vegetables, and meat in the market in front of the restaurant as if you shop at markets. 

 
▲There were plenty of oysters in the water tank! Each basket separates kinds and sizes of oysters. 


They offer multiple kinds of oysters such as “Maruemon,” and “Kakiemon” which is born and grown in Akkeshi-Cho. 

 
▲They also offer smelts, Atka mackerels, abalones, etc. All of them are caught in the near sea. 

 
▲They also offer some meat such as Akkeshi Genghis Khan. 


After choosing what to grill, pay for the foods at the market and find a seat. Now, you are set to enjoy them slowly by grilling with charcoals. 

 
▲I chose not only oysters but also huge clams and thick shiitake mushroom with butter. These are all from Akkeshi. 

 
▲It’s looking good. Oysters are huge! 

 
▲Freshly grilled oysters are too delicious! 


I felt delighted that I could grill just what I like. This is really a nice place. 

 

Have fancy style oysters at “Oyster Bar Pittoresque”

The third place is “Oyster Bar Pittoresque,” which offers a light meal using oysters and Akkeshi whiskeys, etc. 

 
▲The view from the window was amazing! You can see Lake Akkeshi, etc. 


The bar offers foods such as pasta and pizza and set menu of three kinds of raw oysters and whiskeys. Among them, I recommend the oyster shooter. 

Oyster shooter is a dish put raw oysters, sauce, etc., in a shot glass. It’s intended to put in your mouth at once. They put quite a delicate into oyster shooters, and it made me want to enjoy it slowly instead of having it all at once. 

 
▲“Tomato jelly and sour cream with caviar topping” (The dish in the front) A piece of a raw oyster is in this shot glass. 

 
▲“Seafood noodles and quail eggs with horseradish topping.” Konbu noodle and oysters are under Pon-zu jelly. 

 
▲Tada~! 


They both use Akkeshi-Cho produced “Maruemon.” It is delicious to enjoy fresh raw oysters from the shell directly, but it is also nice to enjoy raw oysters with sauce and other ingredients. 

They also offer other kinds of oyster shooters so it might be nice to have several of them! 

 

Oyster desserts at “Oyster Cafe”!

I recommend light meals from “Oyster Cafe” on the first floor for desserts after a meal and short break. 

They offer not only steamed oysters but also desserts made with oysters! The oyster dessert is their original menu “Oyster Mocha. ” 

 
▲Oyster Mocha is a coffee flavored soft serve which mixes Akkeshi oyster sauce, topped with coffee powders and Monaka in the shape of an oyster. 


Adding oyster sauce to soft serve? And it’s a coffee flavored soft serve? 
You may have lots of questions, but don’t be skeptical and give a try. It was actually really delicious to me! 

It was not too sweet and light but yet milky, and the flavor was deep. Maybe it was because of oyster sauce. The slight bitterness from coffee powder gave a great spice to the flavor. 

 
▲You can enjoy oyster desserts with bright sun from the huge windows. 


If you are driving around Akkeshi, “Conchiglie,” is somewhere you cannot miss. I would instead stop here to have their delicious dishes. Visit Akkeshi with a hungry stomach! Have as many Akkeshi oysters as you want! 

Text, photo/Hokkaido Likers photo-writer nobu Kawashima
https://www.no-1-travel.com/